Let’s embark on a scavenger hunt to find the next college football coach who will win his first national championship. Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day account for the only active championship coaches.

Who’s next?

Reflecting on past winners and adhering to some guiding principles will help identify top candidates.

Sixteen coaches won their first national championship during either the Bowl Championship Series or College Football Playoff era that started in 1998.

We’ll use that group of coaches as our guide, as we try to winnow the list:

∎ Each of the 16 first-time championship coaches from the BCS and CFP eras coached a school that’s now in the Power Four ranks. So, we’ll confine our search for the next champion to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, plus Notre Dame.

∎ Miami’s Larry Coker was the only coach from our control group of 16 who won a national championship in his first season. Coker inherited a team that went 11-1 the prior season. He stepped into a ready-made winner. No current first-year coach enjoys a situation so nice, so let’s eliminate the Power Four’s six coaches who are entering Year 1. Sorry, Bill Belichick, that includes you.

Second-year coaches like Michigan’s Sherrone Moore remain in the mix. Bob Stoops, Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Gene Chizik won a national championship in their second season, making Year 2 a time to shine. Looking at you, Kalen DeBoer.

∎ Programs rarely go from the outhouse to the penthouse overnight. The 16 coaches who won their first national title during the CFP or BCS eras coached teams that finished 7-5 or better the season before the championship. The majority of first-timers won at least 10 games in the season preceding their first title. Let’s eliminate coaches whose teams didn’t achieve at least a .583 winning percentage last season. That cuts 29 more coaches from our list, leaving 30 coaches still alive.

Eliminated coaches include Southern California’s Lincoln Riley, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. They built accomplished careers before losing the plot last year.

∎ Each of the 16 first-time championship coaches from the BCS and playoff eras steered teams that were ranked in the preseason Top 25. So, let’s consult the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, and trim from our list nine more coaches, whose teams are unranked. We’re down to 21 contenders.

∎ Most first-time championship coaches were winners before they won it all. The 16 new champions from the BCS and CFP eras compiled a combined .684 winning percentage before ever winning a national title. This excludes records compiled coaching in the Championship Subdivision.

Auburn’s Gene Chizik became notable exception. Before Cam Newton spurred Chizik to brief glory, Chizik’s career winning percentage had been .351 across stints at Iowa State and Auburn. Not surprisingly, Chizik didn’t last long after Newton departed. LSU’s Ed Orgeron had a .532 career winning percentage before Joe Burrow propelled the Tigers to an undefeated national championship.

Acknowledging outliers exist to our .684 guideline winning percentage, let’s create a buffer and eliminate any coaches that do not have at least a .650 career winning percentage coaching in the FBS.

Also, trim any coaches who aren’t above-.500 at their current school. Each of the past 16 first-time championship coaches were above .500 at their school entering their breakthrough season, except for Coker, who won his title in his first season.

Applying the winning percentage parameters trims 12 more coaches and leaves nine coaches standing: They are Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), Brian Kelly (LSU), Lane Kiffin (Mississippi), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Dan Lanning (Oregon), James Franklin (Penn State), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame) and Rhett Lashlee (SMU).

That’s a strong list, with a couple of notable omissions. More on the omissions in a bit. First, let’s examine the nine names to whom our scavenger hunt guided us.

DeBoer, Kelly, Lanning, Franklin and Freeman are obvious contenders. DeBoer, Kelly and Freeman previously coached a team to a national runner-up finish. Each of these five coaches have teams ranked in the preseason top 10.

The list also includes four wild cards. Kiffin, Heupel, Cignetti and Lashlee coach teams with longshot national championship odds, but the stock of each coach is on the rise, and it’s no guarantee the next championship coach will emerge this season. Day, Smart or Swinney could win another ring and prolong this exercise. It’s not unthinkable that Heupel or Kiffin would win a title from his current job – just perhaps not this season.

Also, this next coaching carousel projects to be more active than the last, especially if Brent Venables doesn’t ignite Oklahoma. Any of four wild-card names our scavenger hunt surfaced could nicely suit the Sooners.

As for notable omissions, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian stands most prominently. His .618 career winning percentage resulted in his name being trimmed, but he’s coming off the best two seasons of his career. His Longhorns rank No. 1 in the preseason, after back-to-back playoff semifinal appearances.

In February, I picked Sarkisian as the best-positioned coach to win his first national championship. He’d need to become another exception to the career winning percentage trend. His winning percentage is superior to what Orgeron had amassed before Burrow led LSU to glory. Might Texas’ Arch Manning produce a Burrow effect?

Our scavenger hunt also nixed Michigan’s Moore. Officially, his career winning percentage is .643, resulting in his cut, but that clip does not include his three victories in 2023 while he served as acting coach during Jim Harbaugh’s Big Ten suspension. Moore is entering his second season as Harbaugh’s replacement. He, too, could be an exception to the career winning percentage rule, like Stoops was when he won a national title in his second season at Oklahoma, after a 7-5 debut.

Michigan’s roster features freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruit. If Day, Smart or Swinney wins another title and prolongs the runway for the next championship coach, Moore could look like a stronger contender in 2026.

If we could combine some common sense with the results of our scanvenger hunt, I’d insert Sarkisian and Moore onto the list in place of Cignetti and Lashlee, for a nine-name collection of DeBoer, Kelly, Kiffin, Heupel, Freeman, Lanning, Franklin, Sarkisian and Moore.

Or, perhaps, this scavenger hunt serves as little more than a wild-goose chase, and the real exercise in this NIL era should be to follow the money to Texas, where the Longhorns’ handsomely paid roster seems capable of making a champion out of Sarkisian, just as the pricy Buckeyes did for Day.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Quinn Ewers joined the NFL rookie QB debut party on Sunday. Unfortunately, he may have had the worst time of them all.

The Miami Dolphins’ 2025 seventh-round pick got the lion’s share of the work vs. the Chicago Bears, giving him a first, lengthy taste of NFL action. The one-time five-star recruit and Texas Longhorn product, though, got something of a rude awakening in his Sunday debut.

Ewers went just 4-for-16 passing and was under constant duress throughout the matchup, which ended in a 24-24 tie.

While the expectations are low for Ewers – and the competition even less so given preseason Week 1 – he had a debut that he may want to put in the rearview mirror soon.

Here’s how Ewers performed:

Quinn Ewers stats today

Ewers put together a line to forget in his first NFL game action vs. the Bears:

Completions/Attempts: 5/18
Passing yards: 91 (5.1 YPC)
Passing touchdowns: 0
Passer rating: 48.1
Sacks: 2
Interceptions: 0
Fumbles (lost): 2 (2)
Rushing yards (attempts): 0 (0)

Ewers was the third quarterback on the field for the Dolphins following starter Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson, getting most of the passing work. He played with backups, so the less-than-great performance wasn’t entirely on his shoulder pads.

Still, Ewers showcased a lack of anticipation on some throws and took two inopportune strip sacks, including one while the Miami offense was backed up near its goal line.

That all makes for a painful performance to forget for the rookie. He’ll likely get another bite at the apple when the Dolphins take on the Detroit Lions on Saturday, Aug. 16.

As the saying goes, it’s only up from here for the Dolphins’ seventh-rounder.

Quarterbacks used to be viewed as a dime a dozen in fantasy football. It was routinely one of the deepest positions, and fantasy managers could often find good streamers each week, even in 12-team leagues.

However, the rise of mobile quarterbacks across the NFL has led to an increase in the position’s fantasy value. It is now more important than ever to have either a top dual-threat option or a high-volume passer to give your fantasy team a high floor.

That’s part of the reason the average draft position (ADP) of top quarterbacks has steadily risen in recent seasons.

Still, fantasy teams still have to balance talent with value. So, while certain quarterbacks remain a cut above the rest, some fantasy managers will look to wait on a signal-caller while still getting a starting-caliber player at a relative discount.

Here’s a tiered breakdown of the quarterback position for fantasy football in 2025, starting with the two players expected to be the top fantasy quarterbacks for the upcoming season.

Fantasy football QB tiers for 2025

Tier 1

1. Josh Allen, Bills
2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

Allen and Jackson belong in a tier of their own. The two are not only productive passers; they are also among the most prolific runners at the position. Allen’s 12 rushing touchdown’s ranked second among quarterbacks last season behind only Jalen Hurts (14) while Jackson’s 915 rushing yards bested Jayden Daniels’ 891 in the race for first at the position.

Quarterbacks like Daniels and Hurts have the rushing upside to eventually join this tier, but for now, Allen and Jackson stand alone as the proven signal-callers to target in the early rounds of fantasy football drafts.

Tier 2

3. Joe Burrow, Bengals
4. Jalen Hurts, Eagles
5. Jayden Daniels, Commanders
6. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

If Allen and Jackson represent the cream of the crop, these quarterbacks can also be league-winners. Burrow because of his passing volume – he led the league in pass attempts (652), completions (460), passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) in 2024 – and Hurts and Daniels because of their aforementioned rushing upside.

Mahomes will scare some off after he logged just 28 total touchdowns in 2024, tied for his fewest in a season as a starter. That said, he has still averaged 644.7 passing attempts per 17 games played over the last five years. That should give him the volume needed to be a solid starting fantasy quarterback, especially since he will have a more reasonable ADP in 2025 after he disappointed fantasy managers last season.

Tier 3

7. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
8. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
9. Kyler Murray, Cardinals
10. Bo Nix, Broncos
11. Brock Purdy, 49ers
12. Justin Fields, Jets

The quarterbacks in this tier all profile as solid fantasy starters. Prescott and Mayfield figure to be in high-volume passing offenses while the other four all possess mobility that should give them higher-than-average rushing floors.

Of course, the quarterbacks in this tier also come with some question marks that will cap their upside. Prescott is coming off a season-ending hamstring injury; Mayfield has yet another new offensive coordinator in 2025; Purdy will start the season without Brandon Aiyuk and will permanently be without Deebo Samuel. The list goes on.

Still, in the case of these QBs, the upside outweighs the potential concerns. As such, they should be drafted as lower-end starters for fantasy managers who prefer to wait on the position.

Tier 4

13. Jared Goff, Lions
14. Jordan Love, Packers
15. Justin Herbert, Chargers
16. Caleb Williams, Bears
17. Drake Maye, Patriots
18. C.J. Stroud, Texans
19. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Would it be a surprise if any of these seven quarterbacks emerged as a top-10 fantasy option at the position? Not necessarily. There are just more obstacles for this group to get there.

For Goff, it’s overcoming the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who helped lead the 2016 NFL draft’s No. 1 pick to three of his best-ever seasons. Stroud is in a similar boat as he navigates an offensive coordinator change, while Herbert is part of a Chargers offense that would prefer to be run-heavy under Greg Roman and sported the league’s 10th-highest run play percentage last season.

Williams and Maye may have the best chance among this group to vastly exceed expectations. Each second-year signal-caller was placed into a new, more quarterback-friendly offense during the offseason that should naturally allow them to take a step forward.

But overall, these quarterbacks figure to be on the QB1 fringes throughout the season, though they could emerge as high-quality streamers.

Tier 5

20. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
21. Matthew Stafford, Rams
22. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
23. Geno Smith, Raiders

Most of these quarterbacks are high-floor veterans you wouldn’t have a problem starting in a pinch. Stafford, Rodgers and Smith can all be viable streams in favorable matchups; the same can be said of Lawrence, who has posted 22 multi-touchdown games across his 60 career starts.

Tier 6

24. Anthony Richardson, Colts
25. J.J. McCarthy, Vikings
26. Bryce Young, Panthers
27. Cam Ward, Titans

If you’re looking for young dart throws, this group could be worthwhile. Richardson has great rushing upside, averaging 42.3 rushing yards per game in 15 starts with 10 rushing scores across his first two seasons. Meanwhile, McCarthy is playing in a Kevin O’Connell offense that turned Sam Darnold into a Pro Bowler last season.

Like Richardson, Young and Ward have decent mobility and could post a handful of weeks as top-10 fantasy quarterbacks. That said, this tier carries more risk than the other higher-end sleepers and may be better simply to monitor on the waiver wire outside of SuperFlex leagues.

Tier 7

28. Sam Darnold, Seahawks
29. Michael Penix Jr., Falcons
30. Russell Wilson, Giants
31. Joe Flacco, Browns
32. Tyler Shough, Saints

Let’s be honest: You probably aren’t going to end up with many, if any, passers in this tier unless you are in a very deep league. Many of them have a tenuous grip on starting jobs and a history of turnovers.

Perhaps some could put together surprising success. Darnold may stand the best chance of doing that if he can quicken his release behind a leakier offensive line than the one he played with in 2024. But more likely, these signal-callers will be the bottom of the fantasy barrel.

Justin Rose edged 2025 breakout golfer J.J. Spaun to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood, who entered Sunday’s play with the lead, finished tied for third with Scottie Scheffler.
Next week, the PGA Tour goes to Caves Valley Golf Club in in Baltimore County, Maryland, for the BMW Championship.

Tommy Fleetwood entered the final round of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship at the top of the leaderboard.

The Englishman struggled early to start the third round Saturday in Memphis, but did enough to hold the top spot entering play Sunday.

Fleetwood held a three-shot lead over Justin Rose when the second round was completed early on Saturday (second-round action was suspended Friday due to severe weather).

At the end of Sunday though, there would be a new leader. In fact, there were two as both Justin Rose and 2025 breakout golfer J.J. Spaun were each tied at 16-under following the 72nd hole of the weekend. They were trailed by both Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler who each finished at 15-under.

That tie at the top meant fans were in for a playoff, and it didn’t disappoint. Both Spaun and Rose lipped out potential tournament-winning putts in the first playoff hole. On the second go, Spaun nailed a very long putt to stay alive. After that, the position of the 18th hole was moved, potentially giving Spaun an advantage considering he’d landed his approach shot on 18 close to the new cup each time he’d played the hole today. However, Rose rose to the occasion landing a similarly well-placed shot, positioning each golfer for a birdie opportunity. Rose nailed his putt. Spaun did not.

And with that, Rose was the winner of the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Now, we head to the BMW Championship at Caves Valley in Maryland.

FedEx St. Jude Championship leaderboard

1. Justin Rose -16 (F) *won in third playoff hole
2. J.J. Spaun -16 (F) *lost in third playoff hole
T3. Scottie Scheffler -15 (F)
T3. Tommy Fleetwood -15 (F)
5. Cameron Young -11 (F)

FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP: Updated tee times, leaderboard

Justin Rose wins 2025 St. Jude Championship

It seems a change in hole position was all that was needed to determine a winner. After several clutch, long putts from J.J. Spaun to maintain pace with Rose, it was a short putt that ultimately doomed him. Rose hit his birdie putt with the hole now on the right side of the green, but Spaun pulled his putt, giving Rose the win.

On to the BMW Championship!

Spaun nails long putt to stay alive

After an exhilarating first playoff hole, it was only fitting that the second run at determining a winner would be just as exciting. After each golfer’s second shot though, it looked like it was going to be anticlimactic after Spaun left his approach shot way right, while Rose left his shot just short, only a few feet away from the cup.

Spaun answered though, sinking the very long putt to put the pressure on Rose, and the crowd went wild.

Rose sank his putt as well, but it had to be disappointing for him. What looked like an easy win for Rose turned into a pair of birdies and trip back to the tee box for a third playoff hole.

Rose, Spaun still knotted after first playoff hole

The pair squared off to determine who deserved the victory after tying at -16 through 72 holes. However, one hole was not enough as both golfers notched a par on the first playoff hole. Now they head to 18th for the second playoff hole.

Justin Rose on fire, moves to share of the lead with J.J. Spaun

J.J. Spaun finished with a par on the 18th hole to finish the fourth round with a 5-under 65 and a share of the lead. Spaun is -16 for the tournament, but Justin Rose has one final hole to pass Spaun for the victory. Rose, continued his hot stretch on the back nine, recording his fourth consecutive birdie on hole No. 17 to tie Spaun atop the leaderboard. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile will finish no worse than third after carding a 3-under 67 for the round and finishing at -15 for the tournament.

J.J. Spaun moves into tie for first on leaderboard

It’s back-to-back birdie putts for J.J. Spaun on the back nine, and he is now tied for first place on the leaderboard with Tommy Fleetwood. Spaun now has six birdies on the day.

Fleetwood miscues a putt on Hole 16

Tommy Fleetwood miscues his chip shot from the grandstands, and it might cost him sole possession of first place on the leaderboard as his shot rolls past the hole and down the side.

Spaun, Scheffler birdie Hole 16

Here come J.J. Spaun and Scottie Scheffler as both golfers get the birdie putt to roll in on the par five Hole 16. For Spaun, he is now one stroke behind Tommy Fleetwood at the top of the leaderboard, while Scheffler is now two strokes back on Fleetwood.

Scheffler bogeys 15 to fall two shots back

A wayward drive down the stretch may have cost Scottie Scheffler this tournament. Scheffler pulled his drive left on the par-4 hole and had to hit a low punch from under a canopy of trees. He ended up over the green and missed a 7-footer for par to drop a crucial shot and fall into a tie for third place with Justin Rose — two shots behind leader Tommy Fleetwood.

Tommy Fleetwood finally makes a birdie (x2)

After bogeying the first hole and then running off 10 consecutive pars, Tommy Fleetwood finally converted a birdie putt on No. 11. Sitting just on the edge of the green on the par 4, Fleetwood rolled in an improbable 33 footer to join Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun at 14-under for the tournament.

It was a pivotal hole for his playing group. Though both Fleetwood and Justin Rose came to the 11th tee at 13-under, Fleetwood’s birdie put him in a tie for the lead, while Rose hit his tee shot into the deep rough and had to scramble for bogey.

As if the cork had finally been removed from the bottle, Fleetwood followed up his first birdie of the day with a second one on the par-4 13th. Hitting his approach to within 15 feet, he rolled his putt into the center of the cup to take a one-stroke lead.

J.J. Spaun makes it a four-way tie for the lead

Reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun is making things very interesting — and very jumbled — as the back nine beckons. Playing alongside Scottie Scheffler, Spaun recorded a third birdie in his first eight holes when he converted a 19-foot putt on the par-3 No. 8.

For the moment, that birdie pulled him into a four-way tie for the lead among the quartet of players in the final two groups. They’re about to make the turn to the back nine, with more excitement to come.

Scottie Scheffler pulls even after three holes

Though he began Sunday’s final round two strokes off the pace, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler quickly caught up with third-round leader Tommy Fleetwood.

Fleetwood bogeyed the opening hole to fall to 13-under on the tournament, while Scheffler made a fantastic chip over a bunker on the par-5 third hole for an easy birdie.

The current FedEx Cup points leader, Scheffler has won four events this season. Fleetwood is looking for his first career PGA Tour victory.

Jordan Spieth’s playoff hopes find watery grave on 18

Sitting right on the borderline of making the top 50 in FedEx Cup points heading into the final hole of the tournament, Jordan Spieth caught a break when his tee shot on No. 18 just barely avoided the rough. However, his approach to the pin — tucked on the left side of a green guarded by a pond — landed short, caught the bank and hopped into the water.

Spieth was unable to hole his chip for par and finished with a bogey for a 3-under 67 — dropping him to 54th in the stnadings. His playing partner, Denny McCarthy, also shot a 67 and appears to be a lock to finish inside the top 50 and advance.

Rounds of the day: Justin Thomas, Cameron Young

Two-time major champion Justin Thomas turned in the early round of the day, shooting a 5-under 65 to jump 22 spots on the leaderboard from his standing after Saturday’s third round.

After making the turn at 3-under, Thomas ran off three consecutive birdies to get to 6-under for the tournament, but his momentum stalled over the final six holes. He finished with five pars and a bogey to complete his 65.

The PGA champion in 2017 and 2022 won’t have to sweat out the final few holes since he’ll easily make the field for next week’s BMW Championship. He’s currently in fifth place in the FedEx Cup standings with the top 50 advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Update: Playing later in the day, Cameron Young carded five birdies on the front nine and finished with three more over the final four holes on his way to a 6-under 64. In completing his round, Young moved into a tie for fifth place.

Caddie change for Scottie Scheffler on Sunday

Scottie Scheffler will be without regular caddie Ted Scott by his side for the final round of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Scott had to return home for a private family matter, according to a social media post by the PGA Tour. It stated that Brad Payne will fill in for Scott. Payne drove to Memphis from his home in Dallas Saturday night, Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis reported. He also noted that Scott left for his home in Louisiana last night.

This isn’t the first time Payne has been on the bag for Scheffler. He stepped in last year for the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla when Scott was given the day off to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. — Adam Schupak, Golfweek

Denny McCarthy makes an early run

Will someone go really low early and threaten the favorites at the top of the FedEx St. Jude leaderboard? Denny McCarthy is making a bid to be that golfer.

McCarthy carded two birdies and an eagle on his first four holes to jump 20 spots on the leaderboard to 5-under for the tournament. McCarthy — a native of Rockville, Maryland — would love to get into the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings with the second tournament in the FedEx Cup playoffs next week at Caves Valley in nearby Owings Mills, Maryland.

His sizzling start in Memphis currently has him inside the top 50 in points.

What time is the FedEx St. Jude Championship?

The 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship enters the final round on Sunday, Aug. 10. The first tee time on Sunday is 7:45 a.m. ET.

How to watch 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship: TV channel, live streaming, schedule

The 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship, which marks the beginning of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, will be televised nationally on the Golf Channel and NBC and can also be streamed live across ESPN+, Peacock, and Fubo.

Below is the complete broadcast schedule for Sunday’s final round:

All times Eastern

Sunday, August 10

8 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+
Noon-2 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo
2-6 p.m. on NBC, Peacock

Watch FedEx St. Jude Championship with Fubo

FedEx St. Jude Championship weather

After rain delayed the completion of the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Friday, there’s little to no chance the weather will disrupt Sunday’s final round. The AccuWeather forecast for TPC at Southwind in Memphis calls for hot and humid conditions throughout the afternoon and early evening.

Look for brilliant sunshine throughout the day, with a high of 91 degrees and winds out of the southeast at 6 mph. However, the 73% humidity could be an issue for the spectators and competitors, pushing real feel temperatures to around 100.

Tee times for St. Jude Championship

Final Round – Sunday

All times ET.

7:45 AM – Min Woo Lee
7:55 AM – Aldrich Potgieter, Michael Kim
8:05 AM – Daniel Berger, Chris Gotterup
8:15 AM – Erik van Rooyen, Tom Hoge
8:25 AM – Jake Knapp, Joe Highsmith
8:35 AM – Ryan Gerard, Shane Lowry
8:45 AM – Nico Echavarria, Ryan Fox
8:55 AM – Brian Campbell, Keegan Bradley
9:05 AM – Stephan Jaeger, Sam Stevens
9:15 AM – Mackenzie Hughes, Justin Thomas
9:30 AM – Jason Day, Tony Finau
9:40 AM – Viktor Hovland, Nick Taylor
9:50 AM – Patrick Rodgers, Davis Riley
10:00 AM – Denny McCarthy, Jordan Spieth
10:10 AM – Emiliano Grillo, Corey Conners
10:20 AM – Hideki Matsuyama, Cam Davis
10:30 AM – Wyndham Clark, Max Greyserman
10:40 AM – Brian Harman, Sam Burns
10:50 AM – Kevin Yu, Russell Henley
11:05 AM – Harris English, Aaron Rai
11:15 AM – Maverick McNealy, Matt Fitzpatrick
11:25 AM – J.T. Poston, Sungjae Im
11:35 AM – Cameron Young, Matti Schmid
11:45 AM – Lucas Glover, Harry Hall
11:55 AM – Robert MacIntyre, Xander Schauffele
12:05 PM – Ludvig Åberg, Kurt Kitayama
12:15 PM – Thomas Detry, Jacob Bridgeman
12:25 PM – Collin Morikawa, Jhonattan Vegas
12:40 PM – Si Woo Kim, Bud Cauley
12:50 PM – Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka
1:00 PM – Akshay Bhatia, Taylor Pendrith
1:10 PM – Rickie Fowler, Chris Kirk
1:20 PM – Andrew Novak, Ben Griffin
1:30 PM – Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun
1:40 PM – Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose

FedEx Cup standings

Listed below are the top-10 finishers in the FedEx Cup standings. These are the golfers that have qualified for the St. Jude Championship this weekend. For a full list of standings, click here.

Scottie Scheffler – 4,806 points
Sepp Straka – 2,595 points
Russell Henley – 2,391 points
Justin Thomas – 2,280 points
Ben Griffin – 2,275 points
Harris English – 2,232 points
J.J. Spaun – 2,144 points
Tommy Fleetwood – 1,783 points
Keegan Bradley – 1,749 points
Maverick McNealy – 1,672 points

FedEx Cup odds: Favorites to win playoffs

Odds according to DraftKings as of Thursday, Aug. 7:

Scottie Scheffler +240
Rory McIlroy +600
Xander Schauffele +1600
Justin Thomas +1800
Tommy Fleetwood +2000
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Collin Morikawa +2200
Russell Henley +2200

FedEx St. Jude Championship purse, payout

The winner of the FedEx St. Jude Championship will significantly boost his standing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs heading into the BMW Championship, where only 50 players from the previous tournament compete. In addition, the champion of the FedEx St. Jude Championship will receive a sizable 18% share of the $20 million purse. — Elizabeth Flores

What is the FedEx Cup Playoff format?

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are a series of three tournaments between Aug. 7 and Aug. 24, starting with the top 70 golfers for the first tournament and narrowing the field down to the top 30 for the final tournament.

The top 70 golfers will compete in the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10. From there, the field will be limited to the top 50 the following weekend for the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, between Aug. 14 and Aug. 17. Only the top 30 will be invited to the Tour Championship the following weekend at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, between Aug. 21 and Aug. 24.

Both the St. Jude and BMW Championship will have a total prize purse of $20 million with the winners each receiving $3.6 million. — Jon Hoefling

Is Rory McIlroy playing at FedEx St. Jude Championship?

No. McIlroy was not included on the official field list for the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis.

His decision to skip the tournament means the field is set at 69 golfers instead of 70. The top 50 advance to the next round of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the BMW Championships in Owings Mills, Maryland, on Aug 14-17.

Find out more on Rory McIlroy’s decision from USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Giannotto.

The Southeastern Conference is home to some of college football’s most iconic venues, and so the debate is never really over and the competition is stiff whenever anybody attempts to rank the league’s stadiums. This held true for the reviews given to the 16 stadiums used by SEC teams, with very little separating the best places to watch SEC football.

Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium wound up at the top of the heap as the best-reviewed SEC football stadium entering the 2025 season, according to a USA TODAY Sports analysis of the ratings given out by users on Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor. But Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, LSU’s Tiger Stadium, Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium and Georgia’s Sanford Stadium weren’t far behind and finished among the top-rated college football venues in the country.

In all, 13 of the 16 SEC football stadiums had combined ratings higher than 4.6 out of 5 stars. These rankings were different, however, than a recent list published by USA TODAY.

Here’s a full breakdown of where all 16 SEC stadiums stack up based on Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor ratings entering the 2025 college football season:

SEC

1. Alabama ‒ Bryant-Denny Stadium (4.79783267)

Yelp: 4.6 stars, 68 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 668 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 5,539 reviews

2. Texas A&M ‒ Kyle Field (4.79552)

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 42 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 429 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,279 reviews

3. LSU ‒ Tiger Stadium (4.7939394)

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 73 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 902 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,843 reviews

4. Auburn ‒ Jordan-Hare Stadium (4.791227)

Yelp: 4.1 stars, 43 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 237 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,151 reviews

5. Georgia ‒ Sanford Stadium (4.785611)

Yelp: 4.5 stars, 50 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 387 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,295 reviews

6. Oklahoma ‒ Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (4.779785)

Yelp: 4.3 stars, 29 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.6 stars, 266 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,054 reviews

7. Arkansas ‒ Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (4.693689)

Yelp: 4.7 stars, 20 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.6 stars, 130 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 1,910 reviews

8. Mississippi State ‒ Davis Wade Stadium (4.693333)

Yelp: 4.1 stars, 12 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 5 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 988 reviews

9. Missouri ‒ Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium (4.68895)

Yelp: 3.8 stars, 12 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.4 stars, 27 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 875 reviews

10. Kentucky ‒ Kroger Field (4.683202)

Yelp: 3.6 stars, 21 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.0 stars, 22 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 2,249 reviews

11. Tennessee ‒ Neyland Stadium (4.68266)

Yelp: 4.2 stars, 72 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.5 stars, 316 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 5,333 reviews

12. Florida ‒ Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (4.67952)

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 75 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.4 stars, 271 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 4,723 reviews

13. Texas ‒ Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (4.6729021)

Yelp: 4.1 stars, 89 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.5 stars, 198 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 3,145 reviews

14. South Carolina ‒ Williams-Brice Stadium (4.58072)

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 37 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.3 stars, 208 reviews
Google: 4.6 stars, 3,376 reviews

15. Mississippi ‒ Vaught Hemingway Stadium (4.565679)

Yelp: 3.8 stars, 17 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.4 stars, 71 reviews
Google: 4.6 stars, 722 reviews

16. Vanderbilt ‒ FirstBank Stadium (3.972108)

Yelp: 3.2 stars, 21 reviews
Tripadvisor: 3.5 stars, 18 reviews
Google: 4.0 stars, 886 reviews

The Indiana Fever signed guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract, the team announced on Sunday, Aug. 10.

The Fever were in desperate need of guard help after losing both backup point guards – Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson – to season-ending injuries while All-Star Caitlin Clark continues to recover from a groin injury.

The Fever are coming off a 92-70 win over the Chicago Sky on Aug. 9 despite playing with only nine players in that game. All-Star shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell served as the primary point guard, scoring 26 points with a season-high eight assists and just one turnover in the victory.

Sims has averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game across her 11-year WNBA career. The former Baylor standout was the second overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Tulsa Shock – now the Dallas Wings. She started the season with the Los Angeles Sparks but was waived on July 2.

Indiana Fever injury updates

Colson (ACL) and McDonald (broken foot) were officially ruled out for the rest of the season on Friday. 

Both players were injured and left the game against the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 7.

Sims is expected to serve as the Fever’s starting point guard until Clark returns.

Clark made an appearance on the ‘Bird’s Eye View’ podcast with Sue Bird and mentioned that she still doesn’t have a timetable for a potential return.

The Cowboys have the longest NFC Championship game drought, last appearing in 1996.
The Rams lost in the divisional round of the playoffs last season.

It may be August, but Dak Prescott already has his eyes on January.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback was an observer for the Aug. 9 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, but he still had time to catch up with some opponents prior to the game.

In fact, Prescott made something of a bold prediction to Rams brass before kickoff: Standing alongside owner Jerry Jones, the passer seemingly told Rams owner Stan Kroenke that they have a date set for January.

‘We’ll meet y’all in the NFC championship game,’ Prescott seemingly told Kroenke.

Should the Cowboys make it all the way to the NFC championship game, that would be quite the feat. Dallas currently owns the longest NFC championship game drought in the NFL, last appearing in the 1996 NFC championship game, which is also the last year they won it.

Adding intrigue to Dallas’ season is new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is replacing Mike McCarthy after a 7-10 season. McCarthy helped guide the Cowboys to playoff appearances in three of five seasons but failed to advance past the divisional round.

The Rams knocked on the door of the NFC championship game last season, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional round. The Eagles would go on to trounce the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.

Prescott is hoping for a similar ending for his Cowboys this year – and they may have to go through the Rams to do it.